Stay With Me
by WhiteAsukalover
Summary: Trish is miserable during her storyline with Christian and Jericho. So when the Charismatic Enigma Jeff Hardy suddenly returns after being let go due to his drug troubles the year before, Trish is hesitant to let Jeff back into her heart for fear of being left alone again. Can Jeff convince her to give him one more shot or is their love gone? Done with Jean TheGuardian! TrishXJeff!


_A/N: Hey guys, White here with a new pairing for you my fans, the charismatic duo of Jeff Hardy and Trish Stratus. It takes place in early 2004, during Trish's storyline with Chris Jericho and Christian, more specifically on February 23, 2004. Jeff makes a sudden return to save Trish from the Walls of Jericho, and the rest is history. This for now is purely a one-shot but if you my fans want more, I'll be happy to give it to you. This story wouldn't be possible without the help of my good friend Jean TheGuardian. You rock, dude! Enjoy this guys!_

Somewhere between Christian's filthy hand unwantedly and arrogantly tapping her toned ass and his arm knocking the wind out of her lungs, Trish Stratus realized how bad an idea this was tonight.

Still Trish went through with the match, covering Christian as he laid down for her, only for the arrogant Canadian to kick out at 2 and floored her with a brutal clothesline, making her easy prey for the Walls of Jericho.

Truth be told, she had no real desire to be here, she admitted to herself, a random thought in between the fiery flares of pain and agony that roared through her spine and back as Christian torqued and twisted her perfect body. Ever since she found out about the "bet" Jericho and Christian had over who could nail her and/or Lita first, whatever feelings for Jericho that she had developed had faded into little more than guarded concern. being bartered on like a common street hooker was not something that any woman would stand, led alone one as proud as Trish.

Yet she had held on to the slim hope that perhaps there was something in Chris Jericho worth trusting...why she ever thought she could find similar traits in Christian, she would never understand. As she craned her head to the titantron to see the sadistic, sick smile on Christian's face even as she screamed in pure agony in the Walls of Jericho, that look was all the testament she would ever need as to the kind of man that Christian was, as the endless, torturous pain went on and on...

Suddenly, the familiar rock chords of Loaded-chords that Trish never in her wildest dreams thought she would ever hear again-blared through the arena. And a painted, colorful figure that she had never thought she would ever see again...sprinted into the ring in a flash of speed.

Christian barely had the time to move before Jeff Hardy knocked him off the wounded Trish with a running forearm to the head. As Trish gasped in relief, clutching her tender back as she lay prone on the mat, through stunned brown eyes, she watched in awe as Christian and the once-lost Charismatic Enigma traded blows, Jeff ducking a clumsy clothesline attempt before he ended their struggle, catching the so-called Captain Charisma off balance and slamming him down in an equilibrium-shattering Twist of Fate, to the roar of the crowd.

Jeff walked over to Trish, concern written all over the younger Hardy's face as he knelt to Trish's level. "You all right Trish? I got out here as fast as I could." He said in a mix of concern and his customary shyness for Trish, his North Carolina accent showing a little as it usually did when his emotions were dredged up.

Between the fading flares of pain from her back, the surprise of Christian's betrayal and the absolute bewilderment of comprehending that Jeff-JEFF!-was kneeling over her, like a guardian angel, all Trish could do was nod her head numbly, her eyes taking in the welcome and unexpected sight of her face-painted savior.

Jeff smiled softly. "It's alright now, don't worry." Jeff answered gently before leaning in closer and gently kissing Trish on the lips, gently caressing her face, the care for her obvious in the Charismatic Enigma's eyes.

Surprised as his lips brushed hers-taken back to a time last year when he did the same after saving her from the wrath of an insane Victoria and her dull-witted boyfriend Steven Richards-she remained in stunned silence as she felt her small frame being scooped into his arms as Jeff lifted her off the mat, walking without a glace at the unconscious Christian as he carried the former 4-time Women's Champion in his arms out of the ring.

"It's alright Trish, Christian won't hurt you again now that I'm here, I promise. I'll keep you safe." Jeff reassured her sweetly as he smiled at her. He had legitimately loved her for a very long time but with him being released the year before for his substance abuse problems, it seemed like he'd never truly get the chance to tell her how he felt. But fate it seemed had smiled on the Rainbow-Haired Warrior as he had another chance. He just wondered if Trish would reciprocate his feelings.

Even before they crossed the threshold to the back, all Trish's mind could take in was scent. The strong tinge of paint, the clean smell of his new T-shirt, and a decidedly male smell that was all Jeff-wild yet reassuring, alluring yet soothing. A feeling of calm, of security washed over her-something that she had never felt with Chris even before she fell for him a few months ago.

The Cameron, North Carolina native waived off the frantic EMTs and officials desperately trying to pry the shapely Canadian beauty from his protective, almost primallly possessive grip as he walked past them all and towards her empty dressing room.

"How long did he have you in the Walls Trish? Matter of fact, why on God's green earth were you even in a match with Christian anyway?" Jeff asked softly. Off-screen, Jason Reso was one of the Hardy's best friends, sure, but on-screen he pretty much played a manipulative asshole, so the fact that Trish was in a match with him worried Jeff greatly.

Struggling to find words between the buzz of information that she was still trying to process, Trish managed a clumsy explanation of the events of the last few months. Jericho's innocent advances. How she fell for him-hard-only to discover that it was all a cruel bet between him and Christian to see who could "nail" either herself or her best friend Lita first. How Jericho tried to apologize, had shown flashes of being a decent man, despite her reluctance to fully trust him. How an insane Kane had pummeled Jericho last week, leaving Bischoff's twisted imagination to dream up this one-sided match, and how she had foolishly believed Christian's promise to end the match quickly and not to harm her...and how his betrayal had nearly injured her before Jeff's unexpected appearance.

Yet through the jumble of words that left her mouth, which Jeff somehow managed to understand, it wasn't until the end that Trish managed to ask the one question that was on her mind. "You're back...how did...why did you come back?"

"Jesus Fucking Christ...how could they do that to such a sweet girl?" Jeff cursed, letting out a quiet stream of curses under his breath. He actually was so infuriated at Jericho and Christian that he didn't actually hear what Trish had asked him.

"Jeff?" she repeated softly, her questioning tone turned worried. "Did you hear what I said?"

Jeff took a very deep breath to calm himself before he turned back to face her. "No I didn't, what did you say?" He asked, feeling sheepish now.

Patiently, Trish slowly repeated the question. "How did you come back? **WHY** are you back? I mean, you left last year and..." '_And you never even said goodbye'_, the bitter thought echoed from a fractured piece of her broken heart into her mind.

"I left because of my drug problems. WWE had to let me go. As for why I came back, I missed you Trish. I missed you very much." Jeff answered softly.

She took in a sharp breath, biting hard down on her lip to steel herself against the torrent of emotions that his soft confession elicited. He missed her...and yet he left, anyway. They were getting somewhere last year, he made her feel like...like she could finally be herself around someone for the first time in forever...and yet he left. Left her to deal with the pressures of having more than half the Divas locker room gunning for her like she had a bull's-eye on her back, left her to deal with a slimy GM that outright abused his authority and tried to get him to sleep with her, left her to deal with jackals like Jericho and Christian. He left her...all alone...

"You should have thought of that before you left," she suddenly hissed out bitterly, trying to stand up and storm away before her back erupted in unforgiving explosions of pain, causing her to cry out and stumble to her knees.

"Trish I am so sorry...I never meant to leave you, but WWE didn't see me fit to stay with them last year because of my drug problems. Please forgive me baby.." Jeff pleaded. holding her close.

Despite the sparks on her skin that his warm, tender touch caused, Trish squirmed and pushed back from him. "Jeff, stop!" she snapped, pulling away and looking at him with angry brown eyes. "I can't do this again! Not again, Jeff! To make me feel for you and then for you to just leave like..." _'Like I never meant anything to you?'_ the thought rang like a cruel gong in her head. _Like __**WE**__ were never anything to you?_

"Trish please darlin'...your breakin' my heart. You mean everything to me. It's just sometimes I get depressed because I miss my ma, and that leads me back to takin' the damn drugs. Please understand." Jeff begged. Jeff's mother had passed away when the Hardys were young and the Charismatic Enigma had never really gotten over his mother's death.

"Understand **WHAT**, Jeff?" She was yelling now. She hated yelling, which is why she never did it, but this man, this...reckless, foolish, brave, handsome, adorable dope of a man...had a way of coaxing emotions out of her that she had never had to deal with before. "That you were killing yourself with poison? That you nearly threw away your career, your friends, your life, ME, all for drugs? That you left me alone when I needed someone the most? What is there for me to understand, Jeff?"

Trembling, her voice became watery with emotion. "Do you know how much it hurt when you left? You didn't even say goodbye. You just...disappeared. And it's been hard, it's been SO hard...all the pressure, everyone wanting a piece of me all the time, and I try to be strong, but it's all so much." Her eyes began to glisten with tears. Her voice shrunk in a pained whisper. "And I've been all alone. You...you left and I was all alone..."

"Trish darlin'...please...please forgive me. I can't take it when your sad. It hurts me so much baby girl." Jeff whispered, tearing up himself.

Baby girl...his pet name for her, back then, in simpler times. The name he had whispered in her ear when they were alone, a name that made her giggle in joy, made her feel special. Hearing the way it fell off his lips...seeing him standing there, hurt, yet hopeful green eyes and heart in hand, pleading with her to let him back into her heart...she felt her resolve begin to crumble and she was dangerously close to falling again...but how could she trust him, after the way he left? The way he broke her heart by just leaving without a trace, without a word?

"Give me one more shot, please angel. I'm beggin' ya darlin'. All I ask for is one last chance. I love you to death Trish Stratus. All I want is you in my life. I don't care if I never win the WWE or World Championships. Those titles mean nothing to me without my Canadian angel." Jeff murmured, now openly crying.

The tears down his cheeks...something that she had never seen him do before...were her undoing. Whatever resistance she had dissolved into nothingness as her hand went to her mouth and she shut her eyes, her tears of loneliness and heartache falling like rain. And before she knew it, wordlessly, she was in his arms, hands rested against his chest, allowing his arms to envelop her frame into his own, her sobs echoing in his chest as she buried her face into his chest, taking in that wild, soothing scent that she had imprinted into her mind long ago.

"Baby girl, do...you forgive me?" Jeff asked in a soft tear-strained whisper.

Trish Stratus was not one who cried easily. She could not afford to, not in this business. She could be hit in the head with chairs by a psychopath like Victoria and keep coming. She could have Jazz bruise her, beat her and grind her into pulp, yet still get up for more. She could take a dozen types of finishers, get slammed through tables and still stagger to her feet, wipe the blood from her mouth, smile and throw herself back into the fray with unimaginable stamina for such a small, pretty thing. She was teflon-tough, the human rubber band. But when it came to Jeff Hardy...when it came to that reckless, yet gentle-hearted daredevil that leapt his way into her heart long ago...she wasn't the pin-up girl of the WWE, or the idol of millions of girls, or impossibly tough, barrier-shattering, multiple time Women's Champion. When it came to him...she was just like any other young woman in love. All she could see, all she would want...was him.

But if she was going to be back in his life, after all of this time, no matter how much she adored him...she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

"You know you're going to have to earn back my trust, right?" she asked after a seemingly endless stretch of silence. "Every bit of it?"

"Yeah baby girl I know. But I know I can do it." Jeff answered in innocent confidence.

"And if things turn tough for you...are you going to run away again?" she asked, staring up into those green depths of his that had always drawn her in, captivated her the way that even the most colorful sunset never could. "I need to know...right now...if you're going to walk away from this again...or if you're willing to stand your ground, and take a chance on us? No matter the pain. No matter the hurt."

"Do I ever run away from taking a Swanton or some kind of risk?" Jeff lovingly jibed at her.

She did not smile...outwardly...at his joke. Just tell me you'll stay, her eyes pleaded desperately, silently. Just tell me you'll never leave me. That you won't give me any more stupid excuses. That you won't break my heart. Tell me and I'll believe you. Tell me and I'll trust you...please, Jeff...for once in your life...just tell me you'll stay...

"I won't run away from things, from us, ever again." Jeff assured.

"Promise?" Trish asked the face-painted daredevil softly, wanting to be sure he was serious about things with her.

"I promise." Jeff smiled.

Maybe it was a lie, or another broken promise waiting to happen. Trish didn't know. But at that moment, she didn't really want to know. She didn't want to care. All she wanted...all she needed...was to have him back in her life, brightening the dreary colors of her world with his firecracker-like presence, his smile, his aura that drew her in like a moth to his unpredictable flame.

And as her lips met his in a sweet, trusting kiss, she leaned her head against his chest, a trusting smile on her face.

"It's a start." She cooed softly, as those three sweet words repaired their relationship.

To be continued?


End file.
